2022-11-29
James 1:5 NIV
Solomon said: “Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch! Never walk away from Wisdom – she guards your life; love her – she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms around her – believe me, you won’t regret it” (Proverbs 4:5-8 MSG).
There are many ways to gain wisdom: (1) Gleaning from the collective knowledge of others. “By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom” (Proverbs 13:10 NKJV).
(2) Thinking outside the box. Statements like, “This is the way we have always done things around here,” warrant scrutiny when they’re used to defend ways that no longer work.
(3) Writing down and reflecting on what you have learned through experience.
(4) Not rushing to closure. Growth is always a work in progress. Creativity is untidy and can be unnerving. The ability to stay focused and faith filled in the midst of change is a hallmark of growth and maturity.
But the ultimate source of wisdom is God’s Word! “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 NKJV). “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17 NKJV). “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you” (Psalm 32:8 NKJV). Refuse to live an unexamined life. Refuse to live an uncommitted life. Refuse to live an unguided life. Today, ask God for wisdom.
Soul food: 2 Chron 21-24; John 12:1-11; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 27:23-27
2022-11-28
Hebrews 2:1 NKJV
We must constantly reaffirm our scriptural foundations. What are these foundational truths on which the church of Jesus Christ is built? The infallibility of the Bible; Christ’s virgin birth; His sinless life; His atoning death; His bodily resurrection and mediatory work on our behalf; our need to be saved, baptised, and filled with the Holy Spirit; and the commission to carry the gospel to the four corners of the earth and announce the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign. These truths are non-negotiable!
You say, “But won’t we come across as being narrow minded?” The law of gravity is narrow minded! The law of mathematics is narrow minded! Paul was narrow minded: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8 NKJV). Cancer begins with one unidentified, unchecked cell, but it can destroy your whole body. That’s why Jude writes: “Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude vv. 3-4 NKJV).
Note the words “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” Our methods of reaching the world may change, but our message must never change. You say, “But aren’t we supposed to love everybody?” Yes, and that’s why we must never compromise on God’s Word.
Soul food: 2 Chron 18-20; John 11:45-57; Ps 114; Prov 27:20-22
2022-11-27
Luke 23:34 NIV
If you’re in an abusive relationship, what should you do? (1) Pray for them. Jesus said, “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28 NKJV). It’s said that 90 percent of those who abuse others were first abused themselves. Often, they’re reacting out of their unhealed wounds and undealt with issues. And while this in no way excuses them, it gives you insight into how to pray for them. Satan loves to use things like alcohol, drugs, anger, pornography, and other counterfeits to destroy relationships. So, pray for your abuser to become the person God intended. “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him” (Psalm 91:15 NKJV).
(2) Get help. Solomon said, “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT). If you need group support or a mediator for an intervention, take action – now.
(3) End the relationship if you need to. It’s not your job to change the person. And it’s not a failure on your part if they don’t change when confronted with God’s love and the truth. Here is a promise you can stand on: “‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:5-6 NLT).
Soul food: 1 Kings 17:1-7; 1 Kings 18:41-46; Mark 4:35-41
2022-11-26
1 Samuel 17:47 NLT
To defeat giants like addiction, resentment, fear, lust, pride, envy, or anger, you must understand these three Scriptures: (1) “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT). Goliath was born a baby, but he grew into a giant. Our giants are often little sins we overlooked and indulged until they assumed a life of their own and came back to haunt us. So as you begin to say no to small impulses, you will gain the strength to say it to bigger ones.
(2) “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran… to meet him” (1 Samuel 17:48 NLT). David faced Goliath head-on. You must force your giant out into the light, and not let him back into your life. Establish boundaries! And if necessary, make yourself accountable to someone who can strengthen and encourage you. Stay out of the wrong company. And above all, don’t view God in the light of your problem, view your problem in the light of God.
(3) “This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” You’re not in this fight alone. God wants to help you to overcome old habits and establish new behaviours. His will for you is “to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own” (Ephesians 4:1 CEV). When you repent, which means to do an about-face, turn, and resolve to walk with God, He will give you the strength to conquer the giant you’re facing. God has never lost a battle yet, and when you invite Him to join you, you will win.
Soul food: 2 Chron 13-17; John 11:38-44; Ps 95; Prov 27:17-19
2022-11-25
Revelation 2:4 NIV
Jesus told the church at Ephesus three things: (1) Remember. “Remember… from what heights you have fallen” (v. 5 AMPC). Instead of focusing on the depth to which you have fallen, think about the height you once knew. Not the worst of times, but the best. Recall when spending time in prayer and the Scriptures was the highlight of your day. What were you doing then that you’re not doing now?
(2) Repent. This word means to change your mind, your direction, and your actions. You can’t solve a problem with the same thinking and behaviours that caused it; new thinking and actions are required. When the Prodigal Son reached the pigpen, he realised he had hit the bottom. That’s when he said, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you'” (Luke 15:18 NKJV). And his father forgave and restored him. How does his story end? He exchanged his rags for the robe of sonship and took his rightful place at the family table. And that can happen for you too.
(3) Repeat. “Do the things you did at first” (Revelation 2:5 NIV). Make a list of the things you did when your relationship with the Lord was great, then prayerfully commit yourself to doing them again each day. And don’t wait until you feel like it. Do it until you feel it, until the joy of your first love re-ignites. Do you doubt that God will be gracious to you? Read this: “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful… rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them” (Nehemiah 9:17 NLT).
Soul food: 2 Chron 9-12; John 11:28-37; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 27:13-16
2022-11-24
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
When God called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, Moses first tried doing it his own way. Killing an Egyptian to save an Israelite’s life, he winds up a forty-year fugitive. After living in the wilderness and learning his lesson, he returns to do God’s will – God’s way. All of us, not just ministers, are called to do God’s will, God’s way. You say, “But how can I know what I’m called to do?”
You begin by answering these questions: (1) What are your spiritual gifts? “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT). Let God show you, through your deepest desires, those core competencies where you’re best suited to serve Him.
(2) Are you submitted to someone who can mentor and train you? That’s part of your pastor’s job: “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12 NLT). You need help; you can’t get there by yourself!
(3) Are you involved in your local church? “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other” (Romans 12:4-5 NLT).
(4) Are you willing to serve wherever there is a need? “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV). If you want to know your calling, start serving and God will reveal it to you.
Soul food: 2 Chron 6-8; John 11:17-27; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 27:10-12
